In today’s world, basements are no longer simply places to store things like a glorified garage. With the price of housing ever on the rise, many people are converting their basements into rental spaces where they can make a little extra income each month. There are also a lot of folks who want to create a refuge space for reading or meditation or even a home theater in their basements. In this article I am going to talk about soundproofing your basement from the tenants below or from the noise transmitted by a home theater.

The first order of business is to talk about the ceiling. Many times pipes and conduits as well as electrical and cable lines run between the joist cavities in a basement ceiling. A lot of people feel that need to have access to these components, but in order to achieve great soundproofing, there devices need to be sealed up by constructing a sealed drywall ceiling below. If you are concerned about the plumbing and wiring, have a professional come in before your drywall in your new ceiling. Remember that 90% of your plumbing and wiring is behind drywall and if there are problems with them then naturally the drywall will need to be removed. My point here is that if the plumbing and wiring has been inspected and given a clean bill of health, then go ahead and seal up the ceiling below.

Generally most basement areas have low ceilings which prevents us from installing a fully floated ceiling, however there is always room for materials like mass loaded vinyl that can be stapled or nailed directly to the bottom of the joists like a membrane. You will caulk all of the seams as well as around the entire perimeter of the MLV using a good quality acoustical caulk, stay away from cheap silicone caulks, they do not work as well.

Once the MLV membrane is caulked and sealed properly, it is advised that you also tape the seams with a lead tape or a mass loaded vinyl sealer tape. You will tape directly over the dried caulk. Now it is time for a layer of drywall. I would recommend a layer of 5/8″ fire code drywall. This application will stop most of the airborne sound transmission and some of the impact noise from above, but the best way to alleviate the majority of the footfall or impact noise is to float your ceiling using sound clips and metal furring channels. I will talk more bout them in subsequent articles.

There is one other method for soundproofing a basement ceiling that I will briefly discuss. Instead of using the mass loaded vinyl, consider installing 2 layers of sheetrock with a layer of Green Glue applied between the 2 layers. Here’s how it works. First you make sure you have your batt insulation in place between the joist cavities, this is only necessary if your need the thermal protection of the insulation. Next you would screw in a layer of 5/8″ drywall. Always screw in your drywall; never nail it in especially in a ceiling application. Then you will lay out your second layer of 5/8″ drywall on saw horses, but on this layer you will apply 3 tubes of a product called Green Glue top the backside of the drywall. Green Glue is a visco elastic damping compound that is used to deaden or dampen the existing drywall and the newer layer that is being installed. You could apply only 2 tubes of Green Glue per 4′ X 8′ sheet of drywall, however using 3 tubes per sheet of drywall is much better for soundproofing. Once you have applied the Green Glue to the backside of the second layer of drywall, you will simply screw in the second layer directly over top of the first layer. A little hint here is to screw the second layer of drywall down as tightly as possible without pulling the screw through the drywall, this will insure the best dampening possible of both pieces of drywall.

After that second layer of drywall and Green Glue are installed, you will simply tape mud and texture the ceiling as you would a normal ceiling. Well, that’s all there is to soundproofing a basement ceiling. For more information about soundproofing a ceiling, walls or floors, read my subsequent articles or simply call a reputable soundproofing company, they will be glad to help you. Until next time, this is Dr. Bob…Out!

This might sound strange to you if you have spent the money on putting an insurance policy in place, but there are times when you should consider not making a claim. It really can protect you from greater losses if your premium rates suddenly rocket up or, worse, the insurance company decides it would prefer you to take your business elsewhere. So let’s take it one step at a time. Almost every policy imposes a duty on homeowners to make claims either within a set time or a “reasonable” time.

If you miss out on a time limit, you have no right to claim. When is a claim made on a “timely” basis? You will be expected to notify the insurer of a theft or vandalism within days. Reports of serious damage will be expected within two weeks and certainly never longer than 30 days. This can put you under pressure if the policy requires you to get estimates from local contractors, but no-one ever said a policy was going to be worded in your favor. So, if you have reliable estimates of the amount lost and/or costs of repair, now comes the big decision.

As a general rule, you should only make claims if the amount is greater than the deductible. If you are going to pay out of your own pocket in any event, silence will benefit you in most cases. However, be careful if there is a third party liability element involved. Suppose the wind lifts two or three roof tiles and one blows down into the street, hitting someone on the sidewalk. The cost of repairing the roof may be small but the risk of a major claim for personal injuries cannot be ignored. Always make a claim when you cannot put numbers on a possible third party claim. Now comes the difficult part. Every time you make a claim, it’s recorded in a national database called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange.

If you make multiple smaller claims, or one or two large claims, this will stay in CLUE for seven years and may deter other insurers from writing a policy for you or encourage them only to quote high premiums. You should therefore consider absorbing losses up to $3,000. You may be lucky – the insurer pays your claim in full and does not raise the premiums. But suppose you have a deductible of $1,000 and the insurer raises your premium for $500 for the next two years. You never know the real costs of the claim until after the event but setting a higher minimum amount for a claim gives you a margin of safety. You should at least break even on the smaller claims.

Dealing with claims shows the homeowners insurance companies at their best or worst. The best pay and do not try to recover their losses by increasing your premium. The worst immediately deny your claim and fight you on technicalities. Never forget every state has a Department of Insurance to deal with complaints against insurance companies. If you think your company is unreasonably denying your claim, make a complaint. There are also attorneys who specialize in insurance matters and, if the claim is for a big amount, it may be worth getting formal legal advice on your rights. Homeowners insurance is not “cheap” and you are entitled to fight to recover the costs of repairing or replacing your home so long as the damage falls within the defined perils.

Starting as a real estate agent or broker is quite easy, all you need to do is, locate some sellers who are looking to sell (or rent) their properties and then search for interested buyers. If you are able to link up interested buyers with the sellers and the transaction takes place, you will be able to get your hands on commission fee. Working as a real estate agent is no doubt, a rewarding career, especially in robust real estate markets. You don’t need to spend on anything except to get an office or paying the license fee (only if it is necessary to have one). However, you must be having adequate experience and knowledge of your real estate market, to start as an agent.

Keeping tabs on the market:
People will be visiting you because they assume you have got more readily available information about the market and properties. Therefore, you should make sure that you are having the knowledge and information to make proper advice and guide your clients. You may have to deal with different types of clients, for example buyers who are looking to buy a new home for residing purpose, tenants who are not able to find a property for rent in your locality, or investors who are looking to put some money in real property. To better serve all of them, you need to have ample knowledge of all happenings and occurrences in real estate markets, through newspaper or any other source.

Keep yourself up to date:
Apart from the listings of properties (for sale/rent) in your locality, you must be having additional information. Keep a record of all fluctuations in real estate prices in your area, and see if there has been some pattern or obvious reasons for these changes. This data will help you and your clients to determine the right price of some property. Whenever you come to know of a property for sale, give it a visit and note down key features like bedrooms or the condition of the house. To your clients, you should come out as a dedicated professional instead of a part timer.

Marketing your business:
If you are good at social networking or making public relations, use these qualities to make good working relations with all parties that can be helpful, such as other real estate agents, developers, appraisers or real estate attorneys. Other marketing channels include advertising your agency on local channels, or you can use some colorful brochures.

Are Franchise Success Rates Really Better Than Small Business Start-ups?
Franchise success rates can be better than comparable small business start-ups because good franchise investments are based on a proven system. The proven system is one of the main reasons for buying into a franchise. But buyer beware! How do you determine that you are buying into a proven business model?

Here are some questions to ask yourself and of the franchise to find out how good their system is:

Does the business model include a proven means for acquiring solid prospects? If it doesn’t, you are not going to experience the franchise success you hoped for. Does the business model include a marketing system that turns prospects into clients/customers? Does that marketing system turn clients/customers into repeat clients/customers? Franchise success rates soar when the business model has a really solid marketing system for retention and expansion of the customer base. Does the franchisor have a meaningful systems library of business information? In short every aspect of the business should be detailed from beginning to end. Every process and action, every form or letter needed, every time schedule and every date for action should be written out clearly. Watch out for franchisors who have a generic “systems” library that isn’t specific to their franchise! It should be apparent immediately, when you flip through the material that it fits the franchise you are considering. Your success in franchising is going to depend on the systems library. Is the product/service one that is valued in my franchise area? Is the product/service one that people will pay for in my franchise area? Can the product/service be differentiated from other offerings in the market I am entering? These questions need to be answered with a solid yes if you want to experience a franchise success rate that exceeds the expectations for a cold start-up. Has the business model demonstrated that is makes money? If it hasn’t, your franchise success rate is going to be low. Is the business model replicable? In other words, have other franchisees demonstrated franchise success? You need the answers to these questions. You can’t assume that because a franchisor has a great booth at a franchising exhibition, advertises in the trade press, and is a member of a franchise trade body, that they also have a proven business model. Find out for yourself!

If you consider these things the chances of finding a franchise with a proven system will soar…